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Chronicles
Chronicles of the Great Playwright and Player, Dragon Warrior and Gentlemen, Ángel Terrassa. as detailed by Liam Brandish "Not so long ago, when the Great War of the Chimeras tore asunder the lands of the north, a brave young knight hailing from a small village in the outskirts of Bastion decided to put his lot into the journey towards the battlefield, seeking fame, glory, and honor. This young man was called Alastair, and there never was another young man as noble-hearted as he." "On the battlefield he gained both respect and fear, protecting his allies and crushing the opposition. By the end of the first month, he had acquired a title: Sir Alastair of the Broken Spear. For indeed when he swung down his spear, 'twas bound to break from the impact." "Then, one day came when Sir Alastair was tasked to bring a message to a certain group of knights from the Empire. He hurried about in his usual hurried way and arrived in three days when lesser men needed five, but alas! The Knights have fallen long before he had arrived! One survivor though did he spot. He took him in his arms, the old man lying in his own pool of blood, he carried the old fellow on his back. Sir Alastair took care of his wounds, tended him day and night, fended him from the wild beasts that prowled, searched and fed him food." "For three days did Sir Alastair take care of the old knight, and at last he awoke from his slumber. But his wounds were grievous, and so he spoke to the young knight these exact words: You have my enternal gratitude, young knight, may the spirits bless your heart. Take this pendant to fair Terrassa in the land of Vivexia. Look for a fair young maiden who is called Primera. Tell her her father fought valiantly, and that he will see her soon. When the sun and moon will meet, I will see her soon." "And so it was, old Sir Knight died of his wounds, but died in peace. After taking care of the burial, good and noble Sir Alastair, who could not back down on his words, left the battlefield and headed for the lands of Vivexia, where the sun beat down harsher than the young knight was acustomed to. There he found the Duchy of Terrassa, and found the fair Primera, patiently waiting for his dear father's return." "Twas love at first sight for the young Bastion knight, and as he looked at the fair maiden's eager eyes, his heart was filled with sorrow for what news he bore. He placed the pendant on her palm, held her hands tight, stared into her emerald eyes, and told her the exact same words old Sir Terrassa told him: Tell her her father fought valiantly, and that he will see her soon. When the sun and moon will meet, I will see her soon." "Fair Primera's heart was crushed, and days and nights she wept for her dear father. Sir Alastair, noble and caring as he was, stayed and comforted the young maiden. 'Fore long, the two became good friends, and under the spell of the Terrassan spring sunset they found love. By the next winter, their passion bore fruit. A tiny, tiny baby boy, so frail upon birth that the couple feared he would not survive a fortnight. But the young one did cling to life so dearly, and grew up to be a bundle of energy and happiness. The couple named their son, Ángel, their little angel." "Soon enough, little Ángel was little no more. His parents began to wonder had they named him rightly so, for Ángel had become less and less of an angel each passing day; he drove his parents mad being the rambunctious lad that he was. More oft than not there was something broken in the manor, and most of the workers of the fields would visit and tell Sir Alastair how young Ángel made his or her child cry; Sir Alastair of the Broken Spear, Hero of the War of the Three Chimeras, could only sigh." "Years passed, and things did change. Ángel had grown into a fine young man. Broken furnitures and crying boys and girls indeed had stopped, but only to give way to broken tavern chairs, tables, and faces, and weeping ladies....Oh, and did I forget to mention that by this time, Ángel's genius and extraordinary charisma had been known all through Terrassa and the neighboring duchies? And I guess I failed to mention that this happened through staging grandiose acts of mischief. Why, there was that time when he fooled the local detachment of the Imperial Army into thinking he was a young regeant from the capital city of Vivexia, and ordered them to perform military drills butt naked! Ahh, those were good times...ehem...Right, back to the story. By that point, Sir Alastair, who could take no more, sent Ángel and enlisted him into Vivexia's mighty Imperial Army, the very same one whose men he made fun of a few days prior." "Ángel, who loved his father dearly, had hated him for putting him into the military, for it was the epitome of what he had hated his whole life: the loss of freedom. Soldiers were like puppets for Ángel, and his own father had sentenced him to be one. For weeks he rebeled, ignoring commanding officers. They, in turn, proceeded to beat him up - for that is what they do in the military, you see - which they verily enjoyed so thoroughly." "Things quickly turned around when young Ángel met Helena. Ahh, innocent and sweet Helena. How those two words so neatly conceal what lies beneath the surface. They say the Nethers hath no fury like a woman scorned. Well, this does not exactly apply so in her case. Rather, the Nethers hath no fury like Helena with a pair of swords in her hands. "Helena was the woman Ángel had never seen before. Or so he thought. It turned out Helena was one of his playmates that he used to make fun of and tease to the point of crying when they were younger. He had forgotten, but never a day did Helena forget. So, when young Ángel tried to woo her, he was rejected even before he could start." "Another problem was that, while Ángel's tongue was the sharpest that part of the Empire, he did not know anything about fighting. He could brawl, sure, but when it came to sparring with physically fit young men who were not intoxicated nor unknowing he was coming at them, he was the worst. Helena, on the other hand, was at the summit, besting every young man who tried to test her skills. For her to even allow him to court her, Ángel had to best her first." "And so it came as a challenge to our hero, who had never in his young life been rejected so badly by a girl or a woman. He hated putting effort into physical training, for he perceived it as a total waste of time and effort, time and effort which could be put into courting more women, for example. But train himself he did, and he trained hard. Harder than he ever did for any single endeavor before then. He did not have the most muscular body, nor the fittest, but he had the sharpest mind, he believed, and he used it fully to create ways to develop himself faster and surpass those who had been training themselves for far longer times." "Within a year, Ángel had broken through the upper ranks, and by the time they finished military school, he was standing at the very top, besting every young man in all of the Empire. And yes, he had bested Helena finally." "It did not take long for Ángel to win over Helena's heart, for secretly, she had taken a liking to him long before, considering how mean Ángel was to her as a child. And he had bested her, in one on one combat. More importantly, rather than becoming strong, it was the transformation that all the hard work did for Ángel as a person. He had learned the values of hard work and perseverance, and with acquiring power, responsibility. He had become a man." "Out of the frying pan and into the fire it was for the couple, as Ángel and Helena were immediately sent into the battlefield. The Empire was, and is, mind you, constantly trying to expand its borders, and war as a common commodity. In the battlefields to the far eastern reaches of the Empire, the two made a name for themselves, wowing soldiers from both sides with the ferocity and yet at the same time grace that the two displayed. And in the midst of the bloodshed, the fire of their love continued to grow." "When the campaign ended, the two went home to the warmth of Terrassa, and at that point, they were more than sure of their love. And so they decided to marry. 'Twas a simple, but beatiful and memorable occasion, carried out at the manor gardens. It was the happiest day of Ángel and Helena's lives." "That happiness could be overtaken only by the day when their daughter was born. For Ángel, it was the most beautiful little thing he has ever seen, and he could not help but shed tears as he held her in his arms. They named her Sofia." "But in only a fortnight since that day, the summons came. They were needed yet again, and so Ángel cleaned his armor and sword, and packed his gear. Helena, who had just given birth, was allowed to stay to care for their child. This time, the war was to the southwest, but Ángel did not care who or what he faced. He just wanted to be done with it and go home to his wife and his child." "They were told it was a routine mission of accompanying some officials to a small city-state where they would sign over sovereignty to the Empire. But what greeted them there was anything but routine. In fact, it should have. An ambush, something to be expected. What laid wait was a whole company of knights and a squad of magicians. But what caught them off-guard was the other company of demons that charged at their heels in a pincer attack!" "Slowly, though valiantly they fought, their ranks were decimated. Ángel, who normally fought with tempered ferocity and a clear head, had felt panic start to creep up. He felt fear; he had not known fear before. And he knew why. He could not bear to leave his wife alone and his daughter grow up with out a father. He did not want to die. Not then. And so, when volleys of arrows started to pierce through his body, it happened." "From within him, something glowed and gushed out into a blinding flash. He felt like one feels when he is asleep, but strangely, he somehow knew what was going on. He saw his body, he was sure it was his, cut down through the enemy ranks. But it was different. His arms and body were covered in scales, and from his hands burned fire, magical fire that seemed to burn through anything and everything, and it had particular efficacy against the demons. And then he was unconscious." "Ángel awoke in the unmistakable stench of the battlefield a few days after a battle; rotting corpses of men and demons littered here and there. He could not determine how long he was unconscious, but he was glad. He was alive, that was all that mattered to him. Fearing that the Imperial Army might have reported to his parents and to his wife that he had died, he hobbled hurriedly, heading for home." "He reached Terrassa at around dusk, and in the fading light of the sun, he could see from a distance an unnatural glow in the direction of the manor. Ángel hurried despite fatigue and hunger, and when at last he saw it, he broke into a run. The entire manor of House Terrassa, his home, was in flames!" "Just as he neared the manor grounds, men in cloaks started assaulting him. In his anger, Ángel suddenly conjured fire from his fists, the same fire he thought he saw when he was about to die. And he was suddenly invigorated, his body seemingly losing fatique. With his new-found powers, Ángel easily defeated his assailants and rushed towards the manor." "It was there near the front doors that he saw the body of his father lying lifeless on the ground, around him laid a dozen of the similar cloaked men who assaulted him earlier and host more of soldiers from the Imperial Army. Tears fell down Ángel's face as he fearlessly, no, mindlessly leapt into the roaring flames and into the inside of the manor. Inside, he found his mother lifeless as well, and he rushed to his bedroom, but he could not find any signs of Helena nor the child. With the walls creaking and rumbling, threatening a collapse, Ángel went back to retreive his mother's body, and most of the servants he could find, and found the exit just right before the stones collapsed." "Having given his parents and the manor staff a proper burial, Ángel set about to find out the meaning of the attack. He reached the Imperial Army detachment nearby, but when the soldiers saw him, the reaction was similar to one who encountered a ghost. As soon as they recovered from the initial shock though, they began to assault him." "Surprised, but not wanting to engage fellow soldiers, Ángel avoided their attacks as he demanded for an explanation. All the soldiers though only retorted with 'Traitor!' and 'Die!'. By the minute, more and more soldiers came and Ángel could no more keep them at bay without hurting them, so was forced to flee." "Grieving, confused, and feeling betrayed, our hero was at a loss at what to do at that point. Everyone he knew shunned him, and there was nowhere he could go without being chased by soldiers. He felt there was some conspiracy going on against him and his family, but as to why, he did not have an answer. The involvement of the Imperial Army and those mysterious cloaked warriors, as well as being branded as traitors, Ángel used his genius to piece together the disparate pieces, but he came up with nothing. Then he remembered the changes that had happened to him, the fire from his hands, and how it was very similar to the fire that burned his home." "It was then that Sir Ibarra, an old knight and good friend of the Terrassas found our young Ángel. He had hurried over when he heard of the incident with Ángel, but was saddened to see only the ruins of House Terrassa. He noticed the burial grounds of Sir Alastair and Lady Primera, and so he was sure the young one was still alive, and he looked over for him." "Relieved to see a familiar face who was not out to get his throat, Ángel could not help but ramble over what had happened and ask for why this happened to him. He told the old friend what he thought, and the old man was silent. After a few seconds, he began to tell young Terrassa everything he knew." "Sir Ibarra began by telling a story about the true nature of the Imperial family, how the tales of them being descended from the Great Wyrm Vivex were actually true. But it did not stop there; what was not told in those tales was that being descended from a dragon, most of the Imperial Family, especially the direct line, were born possessing the powers of dragons. He told Ángel how all of them possessed exceptional physical strength and constitution akin to dragons, and the direct lineage, True Dragonbloods were able to channel Dragon Fire and Dragon Magic." "He also told Ángel how only the direct line were able to wield the power of Dragon Fire and Dragon Magic. For some reason, when he heard of the accounts of what happened to the young one, he knew he somehow was able to do so. House Terrassa was known to be descendants of the Imperial Family, but how Ángel was able to possess powers reserved only for the Emperor and his children, he did not know. What he did know, was that it was the cause why House Terrassa was destroyed. A purge. For you see, True Dragonblood was not supposed to exist outside the Imperial Family to ensure there would be no more threats to the throne. In cases where it did, it was met with quick judgment, like what had happened to House Terrassa." "Asked why he knew all of that, Sir Ibarra then proceeded to tell young Ángel that he was a Dragon Knight, people who are born with the powers of dragons. His people did not come from the Imperial Family, and their source of power was different. Long ago, they also suffered the paranoia of the Imperial Family, and was almost wiped out." "Before Ángel could ever think about revenge, Ibarra told him he would not win. The Imperial Family are a ruthless bunch, he said, and even their Order of Knights who were once a formidable force were nothing to its might. The only way he could get out of the situation was to find his wife and child, if indeed they are still alive, and flee. But he could not stay as well, for the whole Imperial Army was notified to kill him when spotted." "Convinced by the old knight's words and the promise that he would help find his wife and daughter, Ángel reluctantly left the Empire after staging a fake death. Once the heir to House Terrassa and a happy husband and father, he now had nothing, was nothing. He wandered aimlessly and in secrecy, using different name in each town he stayed in, scraping enough just to live by. Ángel maintained correspondence with Sir Ibarra, hoping to here news about his family." "Five years had passed, our poor hero trudged through each day with the hope he would see his family again. In his wandering, he had finally reached the Kingdom of Bastion. Then, a letter reached him, coming from Sir Ibarra. It told. When Ángel read it, his heart was shattered, for contained within the letter was the news that Sir Ibarra had found evidence of the death of Helena and Sofia. Whatever was left of Ángel's will to live, he had now been lost. In his drunken grief, he decided to take his life by hanging himself from a tree." "Fortunately, or rather unfortunately for our hero, a group of men happened to pass by where he was busily dangling from his neck. Shocked to see a man dangling from a rope, they immediately took him down to see if he was still alive. Ángel, in his anger, shouted at them and told them to leave him alone to die." "Not able to understand why someone would want to take his own life where a lot out there are begging for one more chance at life, one man from the group by the name of Scott slapped Ángel and told him this: 'Shame on you. A lot of poor kids out there turn to thievery just so they can live another day, while here you are, wasting money getting yourself drunk, and then trying to take your own life! If you really want to take your own life, then come and see our play at the village once or twice. After you have seen it, then you may choose to live or die.'" "Embarrassed by being chastised by a stranger, Ángel could only follow the men as they headed for the village. He sat down silently on the front row as the men prepared for their show. The play began. It was low budget, but the players were good. The story was about a young knight who had faced all adversities, but even until the end, when he was abandoned by everyone, chose to press forward. In the end, he died trying to protect a village by himself, a sad story that, accompanied with the players' talents, brought tears to the audience. When it was all over, Scott looked to where Ángel was sitting, but found the seat empty." "The next day, the group performed another play, this time a comedy. The audience were jeering and laughing as the characters made fools of themselves. The show ended with loud cheering and applause, and as the player named Scott bowed to the audience, he was surprised when he saw Ángel approaching." "What happened next caught the player completely off-guard: Ángel came towards him and knelt before him, asking that he be allowed to join the group. Before Scott could begin to react, Ángel told how he had nothing left to hold on to, and that seeing the play moved him. He said that without a reason to live for, he decided that if he were to continue living, he wanted to become what the group did to him, to be able to change people through their plays. Without second thoughts, Scott immediately accepted him with a smile and introduced him to The Wandering Men: Scott Journe (himself), John Thornby, Barnaby Inglewood, and Desmond Baker." "With their new member in tow, The Wandering Men continued on to the next village. On the way, Ángel, now going under the name Liam Brandish, a name he got from a combination of names of characters in literature, began to acquaint himself with how the troupe worked, how plays generally went, who usually played which roles, and other workings. He observed them as they rehearsed, and after a few individual practices, joined in the rehearsals himself. And being the genius that he was, Liam did not take too long to learn the craft, for acting was second nature to him. That, and he had been fond of plays ever since his father took him to one when he was but a boy, and he had come to know most of the plays the group did, or at least in some form or version." "The Wandering Men's first performance with Liam was a success, so much that they were requested to do a couple more performances. Liam's natural charisma showed even though he played a minor role, and by the time they finished a few more plays, he was confident enough to put forward his suggestions on how to alter the plays a bit to better suit their audience. The original members were apprehensive at first at such changes, but when the results were positive, they warmed up to the ideas and started to come up with interesting ideas on their own. From there, The Wandering Men only gained more and more popularity. And members." "It was not that they did not suffer setbacks as well. Thieves and opportunists would try to join the group, only to sneak away in the night with some of their valuables. At some points, they would not be able to play due to bad weather or because of bandits attacking the villages. They even lost one of their members who succumbed to sickness. But all in all, The Wandering Men pushed through and became bigger than before." "By the time the group arrived at the Duchy of Stafford, they already were ten members strong, and were successful enough in terms of money to be able to afford more colorful costumes and materials. By then, Liam had also grown into his writing that he was now making new versions of whole plays. And it was then that the group called The Wandering Men came to an end." "For their first performance in the small village of Des, the group collectively agreed on trying one of Liam's written materials. They have been using improvisation on their plays, but never whole revisions as what Liam did in his writings, but they figured to give it a shot as all of them wholly acknowledged his works were good, brilliant even." "It was a nerve-wracking experience for the group, and especially so for Liam. It was a gamble to go so far away from their tried and tested ways, but like when Liam had just joined the group, they took similar risks, albeit not as big as this one. But when they heard the cheers and the positive reaction of the crowd goin into the first few minutes of the play, they gained more confidence and finished with their usual flair, receiving a standing ovation when it was all over." "An unexpected guest happened to be sitting among the crowd that day, and it was this person that forever changed the lives of the ten people of The Wandering Men. Standing from his seat and removing his hood, the crowd began to settle down from their cheers as they looked and recognized who it was. Liam and the others did not recognize him, but they soon did as the man came forward and introduced himself. Lord Hauser, Duke of Stafford. And he asked the group if they would accompany him for dinner." "While Liam and the others were still busy dining on exquisite food and admiring the lavish designs of the dining room inside the Duke's manor, Lord Hauser stated his reason for inviting them over. He said he had seen their earlier performance in its entirety and he was thoroughly impressed considering the group's finances, and that he decided he wanted to become the group's patron. Thus, the curtains closed on The Wandering Men, as I have told earlier, and the tale of Lord Hauser's Men began." "Lord Hauser's Men, unlike The Wandering Men, were now able to play in playhouses in larger towns through the duchy, and with the Duke's assitance, they easily filled the houses. Of course, when the Duke had visitors or held special occasions, the group would play at the manor." "During that time, Liam's roles in the plays gradually improved, and he would often take the lead roles in comedies and the role of villain in non-comedies. He had also come into his own in terms of his writing, coming up with longer stories and more complex plots." "Around the summer of 1120, Lord Hauser brought the company with him on his trip to Bastion. He then held a ball, inviting some members of the nobility, and the main entertainment was a performance from the company. The group was recevied very well that the Duke thought it time for Lord Hauser's Men to break into Bastion's theatre scene." "It happened in the spring of 1121. The renowned Gilded Circle Theatre was full in anticipation of Lord Hauser's Men. Rarely has it been that newcomers were able to fill playhouses in Bastion, much less get an opportunity to debut in the Gilded Circle. But the Duke was an influential man, and the earlier ball had the effect of advertising the company, trickling down through word of mouth from the nobility that attended to their servants and down to the common people. For their debut, the group decided to go with a comedy as it was the group's forte. Liam Brandish was arguably their best player, and he wrote and played best with comedies." "They had never before played in front of such a crowd, and all of them, supposedly veterans, having played for many years, were having the case of stage fright. All but one, and who else but our hero stepped forward and calmly spoke his opening lines. When he went through the first punchlines and had the audience giggling, the rest of the players settled down and calmly did their parts as they rehearsed it." "Needless to say, the play was a success. The high profile members of the audience were congratulating Lord Hauser for being able to find such a group of talented men. Of course, special mention went to Liam Brandish, the player of the lead role and the playwright. The ladies immediately flocked Liam, asking him questions and whether he would be available for dinner." "That performance announced the breakthrough of Lord Hauser's Men into Bastion's theater scene. Being regarded as new, refreshing, and radical, the group gained following especially from the younger generations. And with that, Liam Brandish's name was catapulted into the forefront as a player and playwright, with most critics citing his subtle wit and the ability to weave simple, everyday events and make them into fabulous stories. Lord Hauser's Men performed almost everyday of the week, and by the end of the year, they had even been invited to play in front of the Bastion Royal Court." "But all was not as it seemed. With the new-found fame and success, there came a price. One day, Lord Hauser invited Liam personally into his manor in the Noble's District. As they shared some afternoon tea alone, Lord Hauser revealed to him his story, something that brought back memories of a life he had thought to be forever forgotten." "Lord Hauser started with revealing who he really was. He told Liam how he was the leader of a secret organization, called the Purge, whose sole task was to keep Bastion free of malevolent supernatural entities. Demons, rogue spirits, and other supernatural beings, if they posed as a threat to Bastion, it is the organization's task to pursue and eliminate these threats." "Surprised, Liam asked why the Duke shared such secret to him. The Duke then responded that being the head of that organization, he knew of things, things that are kept privy to most people. And it was one of these little secrets that he offered to be the patron of the Lord Hauser's Men in the first place." "Before Liam could even ask, Lord Hauser continued. He told him a story about the time when he was hunting when he was a young man. He was a novice at it, but he was eager, in fact, overeager. So much that when he saw their prey, he chased it relentlessly until his companions lost sight of him. Before he knew it, he was in the middle of a thick forest and did not know where to go. Before he could find his way, he was found by a pack of demons. He fought them off, but they were too great in number." "He had resigned himself to his death when suddenly, a figure swooped in and from its mouth issued forth flames that burned all the demons. When he looked at it, the figure with wings and tail and a scaly body slowly changed into a human. It was then that he had met a Dragon Knight, and his name was Sir Ibarra." "At that point, Liam had begun to understand what the Duke was coming to, but he stayed silent and listened. The Duke continued with how he had become friends with Sir Ibarra and until this day kept correspondence. And among one of those came as a request from the Dragon Knight. Sir Ibarra had requested that if ever he saw the heir of House Terrassa, that the Duke extend his helping hand and aid him due to his circumstances. Circumstances, the Lord said, that he would not care to retell, if Liam did not want to do so." "He also went on to say that he also knew of the power hidden inside Liam, or Ángel, and that it was his turn to ask him a favor. The group had recently been facing a lot of activity from supernatural beings, and they needed all the help he could get. Kneeling on one knee and bowing his head, he formally asked Liam to join the Purge." "Liam went home that night, disturbed. He had thought his previous life was over, and yet here it was, knocking on his front door again. He hated his powers, and yet the man who saved him and gave him what he had today was asking him to use that power for the greater good. Ultimately, Liam agreed to the Duke's offer, on the condition that he would only do the jobs that did not require fighting, or using his powers." "And as if one was not enough, another ghost from his past came to visit him. One night, as Liam headed home after one of their performances, several hooded figures followed him. When Liam stopped to confront them, they revealed themselves. One of them spoke: We know who you are, scion of Terrassa. We know what you are. And we have your wife and child. The man then produced a locket and a ring, and upon seeing them, Liam was enraged." "Do not dare harm us, or we will kill them. The same way we did your mother and father, the man said before Liam could do anything. You have no way of being sure we have them, he continued, but the same goes for the other way around. Listen and listen well. We are the Vivexian Inquisitors. Our duty is sole loyalty to the High Inquisitor. You shall work for us, and should we deem you have paid for what is due you, you shall be reunited with your family. We are the only thing standing between you and the Imperial Family. Do anything foolish, and you shall lose everything. We are always watching. We will send for you when we need you." "With those words, the men left. Liam fell on his knees, clutching his chest. A mix of raw emotions battled within him. Longing, hope, anger, revenge. Love. Tears fell down on his lap as he knelt there for hours. Finally, he stood up and went home." "What happens to our beloved hero? Will he succumb to his trials, or will he, as he always did, triumph over them? That, my friends, is a story to be told some other time."